Strike while the iron is hot!
by gondeee on Dec 3, 2008 10:11 AM EST
in Free Agents
47 comments
The Atlanta Braves may be close to signing free agent pitcher A.J. Burnett. From the NY Daily News:
Just as they were finalizing a trade for Javier Vazquez, the Braves were preparing a five-year offer for A.J. Burnett, according to sources. Burnett, considered the No.2 starter on the market, was expected to wait for Sabathia to make the first move. But with the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays all apparently hesitant to give Burnett a fifth year, the 31-year-old might jump at Atlanta's offer before Sabathia makes his decision.
I say go get 'em Frankie. I am somewhat wary of giving five years to a pitcher with a history of injuries, but this is the market and these are the available players, and if we want to field a winning team next year we may have to roll the dice on Burnett.
The acquisition of Javier Vazquez plus an offer of five years may convince Burnett that the Braves remain serious about putting a winning product on the field every year (it would also convice plenty of fans). The Vazquez deal might be the factor which will push Burnett to accept an offer from Atlanta, especially if we are the only team offering him five years.
0 recs |
47 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
i think we have to roll the dice on this one. No way in hell we get Sabathia, Lowe wants to go to boston. burnett is the next best option on the FA market. i say do Wren!
by heap16 on Dec 3, 2008 10:23 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
“Roll the dice” is the perfect phrase. Sometimes you have to take a chance, and I think everyone is in agreement that when Burnett is healthy, he’s one of the top pitchers out there. Five years is a big (and risky) commitment, but that’s what it takes sometimes. 2010 would look great with:
Burnett
Hudson
Vasquez
Jurrjens
Hanson
Hard not to get excited by that.
by VegasAces on Dec 3, 2008 11:08 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Lefties?
That is a really good quintet of pitchers, but they are all right handed. At some point they would have to get a lefty in there. I don’t know if they would go into any season with a rotation full of righties.
by JFP on Dec 3, 2008 1:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I believe there has already been a discussion about this. Seems like someone threw out Mark Redman’s name just for the sake of having a lefty. Would you rather have Redman than say Burnett.
by DMac142005 on Dec 3, 2008 1:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed. I’m in favor of a rotation of pitchers that do not suck.
by VegasAces on Dec 3, 2008 2:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Redman would be perfect
I would probably trade Jurrjens for Corky Miller to open up a slot for him. He would TOTALLY balance out the rotation and make it so much better.
by buzzdeadwax on Dec 3, 2008 3:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It’s always about gambling with you, huh?
I guess I should be one to talk.
There's nights that I can't even walk.
There's days I couldn't give a fuck.
And in between is where I'm stuck.
by Smoltz's Beard on Dec 3, 2008 3:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
SPs
Gondee – Although its a long shot, do you think we have the money to sign Burnett and also trade for Peavy if the Padres lessen their demands? Getting 3 new SP might be over kill given that we need some payroll room for another outfielder. Thoughts?
by Dandrews on Dec 3, 2008 10:24 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Echoing what DOB has said on his blog, I agree that it’s either Peavy or Burnett, the Vazquez trade made sure of that. I think the Vazquez trade also made a Peavy deal a second or third option at this point. I think we can pretty much forget about Peavy unless all the free agent pitchers are gobbled up by other teams.
by gondeee on Dec 3, 2008 10:40 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Peavy
Personally, I would rather they revisit talks with San Diego. Let SD know that they are about sign AJ, and give them one final chance to complete the deal. Given the fact that no other teams appear to be involved, SD might take our last offer.
Peavy is younger, cheaper, and less of an injury risk than AJ. Peavy is also a much more consistent pitcher. I would be much more comfortable having Peavy as a legit ace for 5 years.
by dmack on Dec 3, 2008 10:25 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I agree with you, the problem is that it’s not just Towers we have to convince…it’s Peavy. And I personally don’t think he decides all of a sudden to relinquish his no-trade clause demands. Which is a shame, because I’d love to see Peavy in a Braves uni for the next 4-5 years.
by coldriver10 on Dec 3, 2008 11:13 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Peavy costs Escobar
The value you lose from Escobar is more than the value you gain from Peavy over Burnett. Peavy’s not exactly a durable workhorse either. Signing Furcal isn’t an upgrade over Escobar and will just hamstring the team with 4-5 years of expensive injury prone players.
by VictorW on Dec 3, 2008 11:19 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
With Lillibridge and his glove out of the picture now, it makes it far less likely that we trade Escobar. Agreed that signing Furcal is a poor idea.
by VegasAces on Dec 3, 2008 11:49 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It's one thing when the injury risk is unknown
It’s another thing when the injury risk is beyond obvious. He’s basically guaranteed to miss at least a year over the life of the contract and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s more than that. $80M over 4 years worth it? $80M over 3.5?
by VictorW on Dec 3, 2008 11:17 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I don't think JS would do this deal
I personally think signing a starter for the max contract is a mistake. It is hard to think of guys that earned their money over a max contract.
We could take the risk because we have some young pitcher’s coming soon…I wish I could find my crystal ball…
by themurph on Dec 3, 2008 11:41 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I don't think this report is accurate
It reads like we are the only suckers to offer 5 years to AJ.
His agent will take this info to the Winter Meetings with him and get more money from someone else.
Why would AJ sign before the Winter Meetings?
by themurph on Dec 3, 2008 11:44 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Holiday Logo
The holiday logo is back up… yay!
by gondeee on Dec 3, 2008 12:02 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I’ve got alot of problems with you people!
I guess I should be one to talk.
There's nights that I can't even walk.
There's days I couldn't give a fuck.
And in between is where I'm stuck.
by Smoltz's Beard on Dec 3, 2008 3:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
What do you mean “you people”?
What do “YOU” mean "you people?
~ instant classic!
by scstrato on Dec 3, 2008 5:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
festivus will not end until u pin me George
"We win today, that's two in a row... if we win tomorrow, that's called a winning streak. It has happened before..."
by Swo12bv on Dec 4, 2008 5:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
IF Wren does get Burnett to sign with Atlanta
He obviously then would have his sights set on getting slugging outfielder. Any thoughts on who you guys had in mind and would be your preference over another?
And if Wren does sign someone through free agency like a Bradley or a Dunn, then he would of gotten all the necessary needs this offseason WITHOUT sacrificing much from the farm (basically just Flowers).
I also hope that guys like Norton and Ohman are resigned too.
by ChipperTeixeira89 on Dec 3, 2008 12:35 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
i would prefer..
…Adam Dunn. all he does is rake. granted, he dosn’t do too much as far as average goes, but you can pretty much count on 40 dingers to go with 100 ribbies. And it seems like not too many teams are talking about him right now so maybe we could get him cheaper than what we think. plus, he wont cost a draft pick since he wasnt offered arb by the dbacks
by heap16 on Dec 3, 2008 1:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I don’t think the Braves are keen on Dunn. First of all, he bats left-handed, and the team’s desire is for a right-handed middle-of-the-order bat. But I do think his power is fantastic. I bet they talked about Dye during the Vazquez discussions, but that just got too expensive for the Braves. I can see them revisiting the Ryan Ludwick talks, but I can also see someone becoming available at the winter meetings who hasn’t yet been mentioned in any trade talks. Perhaps we can fleece another team like we did the White Sox… do any other managers have dog houses?
by gondeee on Dec 3, 2008 1:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
what is it..
..about ludwick? he had one good year. is there something im just not seeing?
by heap16 on Dec 3, 2008 1:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Dunn might not be the best example
But like the lefty-pitcher fixation, why is there such a fixation on which side of the plate a hitter hits from? Yes, I do look at splits, and most of the time, they are quite revealing, and yes, a batter has many, many more chances to impact the games they play in daily, but good hitters are good hitters, just as good pitchers are good pitchers, regardless of which arm they throw from.
That may be naive thinking, and in Dunn’s case I certainly have the numbers against me on this one against most of the LHPs he’d be facing in the NL East (Santana, Hamels, Lannan, Olsen; (not counting Perez or Moyer until they’re situated)), which is why he’s not the best example. But there are plenty of right-handed pitchers and occasional lefties that he would destroy, and would no doubt end the season with his usual 40 homers, 90+ RBI, 110+ walks, 120 OPS+, and unfortunate 150 strikeouts.
I know this might open up a can about Bobby Cox, but most good managers find ways to cover up a team’s weaknesses to the best they could, and I think I’d rather see an occasional 0-5/5K night from Dunn against the NL East’s best LHPs, but see a Brave since Andruw Jones or Adam LaRoche to actually hit 30 homers against many other pitchers in the majors.
Alright, let’s go with the example route then – there aren’t that many right-handed outfielders in this year’s free agent class. Say Burrell gets snapped up, but Dunn is still available. Funds are still available, and Dunn is somehow within our price range. Do we take Dunn, or do we shun him because he’s a lefty, and instead sign Pisshands, because he’s a righty?
No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.
by royhobbs on Dec 3, 2008 2:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Pisshands is the OF version of Hampton with all the injuries. STAY FAR AWAY! Plus, I haven’t heard anything indicating he wants to play next year.
by VegasAces on Dec 3, 2008 2:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
This makes our offseason to-do list appear suddenly doable without gutting the farm or losing valuable pieces of the current team (Escobar). I hate to lose Kelly, but if he helps us complete our goal, i’m ok with it. (So long as its not a straight up trade for Ludwick). If we get Burnett signed before the Winter meetings, Frank Wren should leave a flaming bag of dog shit outside Tower’s hotel door.
by 10-4 on Dec 3, 2008 1:00 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Seriously....
…you hit the nail on the head. great work. lmao
by heap16 on Dec 3, 2008 1:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Carlos Lee
Gammons mentioned in his blog that Lee might be made available by the Stros and if so this is the guy I would want the Braves to target for Leftfield.
by JFP on Dec 3, 2008 1:50 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Gawd he’s expensive! And signed through 2012, and he’d cost a lot more in terms of prospects than other guys.
by gondeee on Dec 3, 2008 1:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
ya that would be soooo much money…. he may be worth it but i just cant see us paying it
"We win today, that's two in a row... if we win tomorrow, that's called a winning streak. It has happened before..."
by Swo12bv on Dec 3, 2008 2:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Our Rotation
Well for one thing if we get Burnett he is not an ACE. He’s a #2 man. Our ACES are hurt and im referring to Smoltz and Hudson. I see you guys are looking at the 2010 rotation but you can’ t assume that Hudson would be in that b/c of his injury. Can’t rely on someone that is hurt. There’s really only two aces on the market and thats Sabathia and Peavy. And we knw where we stand with them. So right now we have:
Burnett
Vasquez
Jurrjens
the last two spots are either Campillo/Reyes/Morton/Parr and i don’t know where Chuck James is.. haha, yes i brought him up.
I still think we should try to sign another SP if we get Burnett. My thought is Brad Penny. Penny had a 3.03 ERA in 07 but pitched poorly and had injuries in 08. His contract was 8 or 9 million so we could probably sign him for either 4 to 7 mill. I think we should try to find a guy like this that can give us a high reward for a low price. I always think Mark Prior b/c he was so good when he’s healthy but he’s long way away from that…lol
Maybe you guys could come up with more guys like this? Or maybe make a trade for a guy like Edwin Jackson or Andy Sonnastine. Your thoughts
by braves077 on Dec 3, 2008 6:52 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
jackson is horrible and sonnanstine isn’t on the market. penny is going to have shoulder surgery before next season and its gonna keep him out for a bit of time.
Following the Braves...one long hard drink at a time.
by bigjoe on Dec 3, 2008 6:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, Jackson is horrible. He only won 14 games, piching in the toughest division in the game for a World Series team with an ERA only slightly higher than Burnett. What a bum.
by braves99 on Dec 4, 2008 11:51 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
199 hits given up coupled with 77 walks in 183.1 IP? Yikes.
I guess I should be one to talk.
There's nights that I can't even walk.
There's days I couldn't give a fuck.
And in between is where I'm stuck.
by Smoltz's Beard on Dec 4, 2008 11:58 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
exactly. horrible. his FIP was 4.88, his K/BB was 1.4, and his HR/9 was 1.13. oh, and his WHIP was 1.51. sad thing is, this was the best season of his career.
Following the Braves...one long hard drink at a time.
by bigjoe on Dec 4, 2008 3:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, I looked at his stats for the 2007 and my head started hurting. I notice how people neglect to bring up that season, but it’s probably because he was 5-15 with a 5.76 ERA.
I guess I should be one to talk.
There's nights that I can't even walk.
There's days I couldn't give a fuck.
And in between is where I'm stuck.
by Smoltz's Beard on Dec 4, 2008 5:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
ya his ERA might be a lil inflated considering he had the best IF defense in baseball behind him
"We win today, that's two in a row... if we win tomorrow, that's called a winning streak. It has happened before..."
by Swo12bv on Dec 4, 2008 5:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe a guy like Wolf
At least he’s a lefty.
by someguy917 on Dec 3, 2008 10:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
even if Burnett is a #2 that leaves us with 2-3 #2 starters, depending on how u rate each guy.. Jurjjens, Burnett, and VAzquez…. then we have a combination of Reyes, Morton, Campillo, and Parr and possibly Todd Redmond to fill out the last two spots of our rotation… until Hanson comes up. So while having a surplus of Pitching is never a bad thing we do have other needs outside pitchign and signign pitchers just to give us depth may not be the best plan. plus id rather see us score a billion runs and say screw ptiching… sure we would lose a lot but we would lose in a spectacular fashion…ok i may have gone a lil far there
"We win today, that's two in a row... if we win tomorrow, that's called a winning streak. It has happened before..."
by Swo12bv on Dec 4, 2008 5:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
